2011 Year in Review, Part 4 of 4
Compiled by JODY WYNNEMER
Staff Writer
OCTOBER
• The one-year anniversary of the New Richland flood of September 2010 was observed at the Care Center. After a blessing by Pastor Andree, Mikenzi Hebel released Monarch butterflies.
• Harold “Hap” Hagen of New Richland as his license plate says is a HAP-E-1. He received his nickname from his high school basketball coach.
• The Labor Day Harvest Festival Association of Freeborn collected over 45,000 aluminum can tabs which were given to the Miller Coors Brewing Co. as part of their “Give a Veteran a Piece of the High Life” program.
• Beaver Lake Fact or Fiction writer Bob Hanson bids Semper Fi to Russ Anderson, a classmate and former Marine who recently passed away.
• Gene Dodge’s 1936 hospital bill from Albert Lea’s Naeve hospital totaled $36.25 for removing Gene’s appendix. The average cost today would be around $20,761.
• A last-minute touchdown spoiled the NRHEG Panthers’ homecoming celebration. Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial edged the home team 13-12.
• Ag students at NRHEG have been busy tending to their school garden. The garden featured tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes.• The Minnesota Twins “stepped up to the plate” for the Quad Cities Baseball Association with a $6,000 grant for the baseball field.
• New Richland City Clerk Wayne Billing enjoys the “organized chaos” of his job at City Hall.
• A local farmer who wished to remain anonymous donated 3,700 bushels of corn to the New Richland Area Foundation Fund.
• NRHEG graduate Ashley Misgen qualified for the 2013 Boston Marathon.
• Georges of Geneva celebrated their 4th anniversary. “Bad Monkey” provided the music.
• Barb McKinney and Jack Kuchenbecker invite everyone to come and help celebrate their marriage.
• The Ellendale Lions Club planted a tree in memory of Loren (Bud) Waage, a charter member of the Ellendale Lions.
• New Richland Area WWII Veterans Harold Eaton, Kenneth Eaton, Dr. Albert Flor, Francis Misgen and A. Gordon Peterson were aboard the Honor Flight to see their memorial in Washington, DC.
• NRHEG Elementary teacher Jamie Radtke was the recipient of a $1,000 in school supplies from OfficeMax as part of their “A Day Made Better” program.
• Anita Maloney and Kiley Beenken were selected for the “Making the Cut” program at NRHEG. They were rewarded by cutting off the ties of Paul Cyr and Mark Domeier.
• Breast Cancer survivor Laina Rajala tells of her ordeal after being diagnosed with the disease.
• Volunteers from the New Richland Area Food Shelf gathered 515 pounds of food and $393.70 in cash donations at Wagner’s Foods.
• The First National Bank’s Panther Debit Card program donated $7,500 to NRHEG Schools. The funds will go toward the purchase of iPads for student use.
• T. J. Schiltz places second in the Gopher Valley Conference cross country meet at Madelia.
NOVEMBER
• Assistant City Clerk Corrine Schuller says she enjoys her job and life in her hometown of New Richland.
• Halloween didn’t scare bowler Al Waldhauser who rolled his sixth 300 game of his career at Trapper’s Lanes.
• Cargill donates $250 to plant trees in New Richland. Bernie Anderson is photographed accepting the donation.
• New Richland artist Betty McShane paints a pumpkin with a likeness of long-time New Richland resident Paul Stennes.
• The staff of Farmer’s State Bank in Freeborn all dressed up as characters from the movie “Toy Story” for Halloween.
• The Ellendale City Council approved assessments for street improvement projects totaling $97,959.81.
• Whatever Comes to Mind columnist Kathy Paulsen asks, “How legal is it to drive with your parking lights on?
• The Olson brothers tell how they answered the call of their country. All six brothers served in the military at some point. Roger, the second oldest, spent a total of 30 years in the Army.
• Cole Schutrop returned to Ronald McDonald House in Rochester. This time his family was just visiting. Cole brought along a gallon jug full of aluminum tabs as a way of paying back for the kindness his family was shown shortly after his birth.
• The Panther volleyball team takes second place in the Sub-Section finals at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter.
• AgStar donates $2,500 to the New Richland Fire Department for the purchase of grain bin rescue equipment.
• 42 area veterans are pictured in the Star Eagle’s annual Veterans Day tribute pages.
• The Harvest Run for Hunger raised $2,300 for four area food shelves.
• Former US Congressman Tim Penny addressed the students as part of the Veterans Day observance.
• Anna Schlaak signs a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at Concordia College in St. Paul.
• Neighbor Dale Mulske, a meat cutter at Morgan’s Meats, was a two-time North Dakota state wrestling champion.
• Hannah Haroldson and Krista Schulenberg were named Students of the Month for November at NRHEG.
• The New Richland Liquor Company held a Ladies Day Out to benefit the area food shelf.
• 15 NRHEG students are inducted into the National Honor Society.
• Allie Larson of the Ellendale Lions Club announced that Sadie Mortenson’s Peace poster was selected first at the district level competition.
• Vibrant Life Assembly of God Church in Ellendale bids farewell to Pastor Janich.
• Nancy Jane Klecker says, “I just love to bake” as she celebrates the second anniversary of Nancy Jane’s Bakery.
DECEMBER
• Lyle “Fred” Byrne says he takes one day at a time and that “you gotta’ live a good clean life.”
• The 24th Annual Christmas in the Country in Ellendale featured horse-drawn wagon rides and a visit from Santa.
• Neighbor and collectables expert Wayne Wenzel says his favorite show is “American Pickers.”
• The Freeborn Cancer Auction raises over $40,000 during the two-day auction.
• The Panther wrestlers take sixth place in their opening tournament of the season.
• The K-2 Elementary Christmas Concert played to a packed house of parents, grand parents and others.
• Fire destroyed the home of Mark and Sara Misgen of Ellendale; luckily the Misgens were not home at the time of the blaze.
• The Geneva Wild Game Feed attracted over 1,000 hungry folks. It is the 27th year of the event. Even a person from Chicago made the trip to sample the many varieties of food.
• The New Richland City Council approves the 2012 tax levy. It represents a 1.51% increase from 2011.
• Ellendale 5th graders graduate from the D.A.R.E program in a ceremony held at the school.
• The New Richland Lions put on another one of their signature Benefit Pancake Breakfasts to help the family of Brenda Grabau.
• 1965 New Richland-Hartland grad Sandra Esch debuts her first novel “Tracks in the Snow.”
• Donald Hamilton joins the Century Club as he turns 100 years young.
• The Ellendale Elementary Student Council sponsors a toy drive, which collects 191 items for kids less fortunate.
• The FFA Corn drive donates funds to area food shelves and humane societies besides their annual contribution to Camp Courage.
• Residents are warned of phone scams targeting senior citizens. Scammers pretend to be grandchildren needing money to get out of jail, car repairs, etc.
• Ron Deckard of New Richland was named to the Minnesota All-State Trap Shooting Team in the Senior Veterans Division.
• Clarks Grove Fire Chief Carl Anderson plans to bid farewell after 35 years of service to his community.
• The NRHEG School Board plans to move the 6th grade to New Richland for the next school year.
• Neighbor Scott Murphy, who grew up in Waseca, claims to have held the Waseca school record in the 880-yd run.
• The Geneva Commercial Club sponsored kids bingo and a visit from Santa.
• For the coming year, the Casual Observer hopes not to be so judgmental, and “to laugh more and cry less.”
• In keeping with the season of giving, NRHEG third-grade students decided to buy food for the food shelf instead of buying gifts for each other.